Chronic Disease Preparedness

Asthma is difficulty breathing under certain conditions. The airways to the lungs cannot get enough air due to swelling. Certain allergens can cause someone to suffer with shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing symptoms. All of these indicate that a person may be suffering an Asthma attack.

There are many common substances that can cause an Asthma attack. Some of the things that people might be sensitive to are pet hair, dust, weather conditions, and chemicals found in foods or in the air. When people prone to Asthma breathe in any of these allergens, they can suffer from a mild to severe Asthma attack.
Someone with Asthma might experience an attack during or after exercising. They cannot get the proper air through their airways during strenuous activities. Mold and pollen are two other culprits to trigger Asthma attacks. Stress or strong emotions are also known to trigger an attack. Tobacco smoke is one air borne pollutant you will want to stay away from if you are sensitive to smoke. There is even a chance of having an attack by taking certain medications or even having a common cold.

A physician will work with you to develop a plan to eliminate items that are triggering your attacks. Your goal will be to avoid these items in order to control your reaction to them. There are two kinds of medication that might be prescribed to treat your Asthma. One is a drug that is used to prevent the attacks, and the other is a drug to get relief from an attack quickly. The drug used to prevent the attacks will need to be taken every day for them to work when you need them to. Some of these drugs are used to prevent your airways from swelling. The drugs that work quickly to relieve an attack are taken when you are coughing and wheezing from an Asthma attack. These are sometimes used before engaging in exercising to prevent an attack from occurring. Some of these drugs are used as an inhaler for a quick acting relief. If you are an Asthma sufferer, it is important to be prepared at all times for an attack. A severe attack may even require you to go to a hospital for treatment. Sometimes it can require the use of oxygen or medications by IV. There is no complete cure for Asthma, but it can be controlled.